Here’s the entire HTC Vive Pre manual: Needs a 5 by 6.5ft room

Whether it has been posted intentionally or not, HTC has made its HTC Vive Pre manual available for download. And it reveals some interesting facts about the forthcoming virtual reality headset - not least that we'll all need large living rooms to get the most from it.

Like Xbox Kinect, which faced issues and criticism by requiring a similar setup, the HTC Vive Pre requires at minimum a totally clear space of 5ft by 6.5ft (1.5 metres by 2 metres) to play the "most engaging" of its VR experiences.

Every time we've had a HTC Vive demo ourselves, we've been able to walk around and experience almost Star Trek Holodeck-style immersion, with real world walls and people appearing in the virtual world as avatars or wire-frame objects in order to avoid colliding with them. Indeed, HTC Vive's biggest selling point over Oculus Rift at present, is that it allows you to walk around.

However, it seems that comes with the caveat that you need a large area that is completely cleared beforehand. It might be okay for some people with massive houses, but those in flats or smaller living spaces will struggle.

And considering that you have to have the play area completely clear of any obstruction - which the manual states - you will have to have an even bigger room than stated in order to store your furniture.

One bit of good news is that if you want to use the Vive like any other VR headset, that is much more achievable. The manual states that much less room is needed for a simple standing or sitting experience. The two included base station sensors will still need to be set up in diagonal corners, but at least you'll be able to play games and watch 360-degree videos comfortably.

It's a shame that the best aspects and unique selling points of the HTC Vive headset might be out of reach for many.

You can check out the entire 28-page HTC Vive Pre manual in our gallery above. Please note though, we've not had confirmation that it is the final version, but it is currently also hosted on HTC's own website.